


Zero Gravity

by twelvedimensional



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M, Tumblr Prompt, gravity or lack thereof
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2016-02-19
Packaged: 2018-05-21 14:57:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6055837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twelvedimensional/pseuds/twelvedimensional
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim's master plan to stop the Enterprise from being stolen is "ingenious" and "brilliant" and all that, but Leonard just wants to get through the day without a headache-- and that's not going to happen if there's no gravity and his feet won't stay on the damn ground.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zero Gravity

The _Enterprise_ has been hijacked by a lot of weird entities before, but nothing so mundane as a group of alien fugitives. How they’d managed to beam aboard before they left Accletia was puzzling, sure, but, at least, they aren’t superpowered mind readers. Or clouds of gas. Or–

Leonard snaps out of his chain of thoughts and focuses once more on the scene unfolding before them. Jim’s locked in what seems to be a staring contest with the leader of the fugitives, the rest of the bridge crew (himself included) is being restrained by the other Accletians, and the only thing breaking the silence is the sound of the alarms blaring red alert red alert red alert.

“Captain Kirk,” says the leader (Arcall? Arkell? Leonard can’t remember), “you will transfer command of your ship over to me immediately.”

Jim levels a glare at him. “Arkell, you’re wanted in several star systems– including your own, might I add. What makes you think I’ll hand the Enterprise over to you?’

Arkell laughs just like other (normalpeacefulfriendly) Accletians, but there’s a note of confidence there that worries Leonard, that makes it sound like he’s already won. “You can’t defeat us.”

“Oh, really? How ‘bout we get our phasers out, then–” Jim’s indignant retort is cut short by Spock’s murmured explanation that something about Accletian physiology creates a magnetic field that keeps phasers from working.

“But they have phase-rifles; how come _those_ work?” Leonard hisses at Spock.

“They have outdated phase-rifles that likely work within their magnetic fields–”

“Oh, can it, Spock,” sighs Leonard. He’d put his face in his hands if he could, but the Accletian holding his arms behind his back only tightens his grip.

Jim’s expression of consternation is almost comical, but he doesn’t budge from his chair. “Guess I shouldn’t have called Giotto and her team up here, then, huh?” he says sheepishly, and as if on cue, Giotto and a horde of redshirts burst out from the turbolift.

They all freeze when they realize their phasers don’t work. “Seriously, Captain,” says Giotto, ducking a punch from an Accletian, “Just this once, could we find enemies our weapons actually work on?”

Jim grins (way too happily for this situation). “That’s not possible on the Federation flagship. Stand down, Giotto,” he adds a little more sharply. “Our weapons don’t work; theirs do.”

Arkell, who’s been following the exchange with amusement, has perked up at the words “Federation flagship”. “A flagship is very well maintained, isn’t it, _Captain_?” he says. “What warp factor can it reach?”

Jim snorts. “Like I’d tell you.”

“Jim, he can stun you or kill you with that thing,” says Leonard. “Or both. He seems the type to stun dead bodies.”

Arkell fires a shot at the bit of wall next to Leonard, so he decides to shut up.

“Captain, I’m giving you one last chance to give up command before anyone gets hurt,” says Arkell, pointing the phase-rifle straight at Jim and still smiling. “And if you try and call for help with all those helpful buttons on that captain’s chair of yours?” He drags his free hand across his throat– dead.

“Jim–” says Leonard, but his (completely and totally foolhardy) captain (who he’s going to lecture later if they get out of this) motions for him to shut up again.

“Fine,” says Jim, and every goddamn person on the bridge turns to stare at him. He makes as if he’s about to order the computer to transfer command to Arkell, but at the last moment, he slams a button on the captain’s chair, shouts for Bones and Spock to get away, and flings himself out of his seat just as Arkell shoots the panel of switches on it.

Sparks fly.

_Everything_ flies.

Leonard’s feet leave the ground and he feels like hurling into the nearest convenient bin, but is distracted from his zero-gravity nausea by the sight of Giotto making her way over to the startled Arkell and punching him in the face. That sets the rest of the bridge crew into motion, and they go from hovering confusedly in the air to knocking out every single Accletian fugitive they see.

Leonard has to admit, his friends can be pretty damn scary when they want to be. He, obviously, is just floating around trying to keep himself from throwing up and pulling unconscious Accletians into the turbolift, but Uhura mows down three within the span of 45 seconds, Chekov frees himself from a choke hold and kicks an Accletian where it hurts (all the while screaming something about how “self-defense was invented in Russia), Sulu whacks two over the head with one of the pieces of the command chair drifting through the air, and Spock and Jim are, well, Spock and Jim.

_He’s_ a doctor, not a zero-gravity acrobat, so when all the fighting is done, everyone's been patched up, and all the Accletians have been thrown in the brig, he decides he’s had enough of this business and manages to throw up in the privacy of his own sickbay.

“Bones, how are you doing that?” asks Jim from somewhere above his head, and Leonard fights the urge to roll his eyes.

“What, hurling into a bin?”

Jim cartwheels through the air. “How are you not floating anymore?”

“Gravity boots,” retorts Leonard gruffly. He never thought he’d have to use them after he won them in a poker game with Scotty, but considering he was on the Enterprise, it was inevitable. “Get down from there. Now.”

“Nope.” At Leonard’s ensuing grouchy silence, Jim taps him on the shoulder. “Look, I know you don’t like not having gravity, but come on! It’s not like it’s going to get fixed anytime soon!”

“It isn’t?!”

Leonard is a little glad to see Jim backtrack hastily. “Arkell short-circuited the artificial gravity systems when he destroyed my command chair.” He sounds sort of mournful about the command chair, so Leonard makes the mistake of looking up into the universe’s most annoyingly blue pair of eyes. “Come on, Bones,  _pleaaaase_?" Jim wheedles, dipping down in the air to grab one of Leonard’s hands. “It’s no fun if you’re stomping around all grumpy and not appreciating this!”

Leonard sighs. “Fine. You’re lucky I just took my anti-nausea hypo.”

Jim grins, striking fear into Leonard’s heart (it’s never a good thing when Jim Kirk persuades him to do something). 

But he toes off his boots anyway. He folds his arms and crosses his legs and stays seated in midair (hey, he hasn’t forgotten _everything_ from his zero-gravity maneuver classes).

“Boooooooones,” drones Jim, still holding Leonard’s hands. “You’re being boring.”

“Don’t be an infant,” grumbles Leonard. “I’m appreciating the lack of gravity, see? The air’s a pretty comfortable chair–” Jim takes the opportunity to drag him through the air and send him spinning through the room. “Jim!”

Jim laughs from the other side of sickbay, and as soon as the room stops spinning, Leonard fixes him with a glare. “Be careful! What if we hit something in here?”

Jim makes a _pssh_ sound and floats closer, leaning his forehead against Leonard’s. “If we hit something, you’ll be able to get revenge someday, don’t worry. Seriously, Bones, we’re going to be stuck like this for at least another day. You’re just gonna force yourself to be miserable this entire time?”

Leonard mutters something petulant along the lines of “I _like_ my gravity boots”. Louder, he adds, “Since when did _you_ become a psychologist?”

“Since you made me help you study every time you had a test back at the Academy.”

Now Leonard makes a _pssh_ sound. “Right, you’re totally qualified.”

But he takes Jim’s hands anyway and allows him to spin him around the room. It’s not nearly as bad as before– actually pretty fun– and before he knows it, they’re both laughing and trying to figure out how to waltz in zero-gravity.

About an hour later, Spock drifts in with a status report for Jim, takes one look at the disturbingly happy CMO, and decides that it’s better to just float straight back out.

**Author's Note:**

> [slams hand on desk] I like McKirk, and I hope you liked this fic!  
> Ramble with me at [twelvedimensional.tumblr.com](https://twelvedimensional.tumblr.com/)


End file.
